


Intent

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Houdini & Doyle (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Non-Consensual Kissing, One-Sided Attraction, who doesn't fall in love with Adelaide Stratton that is the real question
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 20:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7656091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam Nagaitis implied that Sergeant Gudgett might have a crush on Adelaide Stratton.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Adam Nagaitis, this is all your fault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Intent

**Author's Note:**

> And Allison. This is your fault, too.
> 
> Seriously though George is precious and we need some R E S P E C T (and crushing) in S2 with this boy and our Addie. ~~(welcome to ot3 hell)~~
> 
> * * *
> 
> "And then there's Adelaide Stratton as well, who's the first female cop at Scotland Yard and yeah, I don't take very well to her. He's a bit of a misogynist. He's not a big fan. Or maybe there's a little secret crush he has there going on. I don't know. That's just between me and you - and the rest of whoever's watching." - Adam Nagaitis [[x](http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/UK-Houdini-and-Doyle-Part-2/823c3eebe5198527cbeb997c5ed97bbd)]

He was angry.

Returning from her extended holiday had gained Adelaide a modicum of respect from her fellow officers at Scotland Yard, when they had learned that she had shot a man in order to save the President of the United States. And not only _just_ a man, but her _husband_ , although Scotland Yard did not know that nor did she plan on them finding out if she could help it. It was a twisted thing, that she had to murder someone in order for people to realise that she was not a fainting maiden, that she was wholly capable of taking care of herself.

Chief Merring had thawed even more than he had before. There were no more threats spat into her face - to be fair, though, there hadn't been for some time - but instead, a rare smile now and then when Adelaide said something that he must have deemed particularly intelligent. Sergeant Gudgett remained to be acerbic as usual, but his cutting remarks were directed less at her. In fact, some of his more irksome jokes seemed to be shared _with_ her, instead of _at_ her. Adelaide still wasn't quite sure how to take it, but by God, she _would_ take it. It was better than being the proverbial scum on the bottom of a man's shoe. It was about time that they had realised that she wasn't.

But Sergeant Gudgett was mad and, for the life of her, Adelaide had no idea _why_.

The case had been simple enough and still Scotland Yard's favourite famous duo had managed to rile every participant up enough that it had ended with an attempted kidnapping and a fist fight. Adelaide had faired just fine, thank you. If she had ended up with smarting knuckles and bruises blossoming around her forearm, she would call them battle wounds and hold her head up high, missing hat, snagged uniform, bedraggled hair and all. She might not be the best fight for someone to pick, but she was not the easiest.

Doyle had tended to her on the way back to the precinct, helping her remove her jacket and rolling up her sleeve to check on the bruises on her arm. Houdini had sat opposite and stared into the passing street, arms crossed, and Adelaide had pretended, for benefit of the doubt, to be oblivious to the way he kept looking at her in concern from the corner of his eye. As if he had any reason to be concerned, just like the lot of Scotland Yard. He was the one who had ended up with a bloody lip, not her.

Harry had been taken in for questioning. He'd had perhaps the largest hand in the brawl. Doyle had gone to talk to another officer as a witness, and Adelaide had returned to her desk after fetching some ice for her knuckles. She'd been proud of herself. She'd gotten a good punch in. In self-defence, naturally, if Chief Merring asked.

"He wants to talk to you when he's done with the Yank," Gudgett said. He stopped next to her desk, glaring at her with the narrowed eye look she had come to expect from him. It was not usually laced with such anger. He looked liable to shout, and this time it _was_ directed at her.

She stood up. "Okay." Why ever he was angry, she wouldn't let it ruin her mood.

The precinct was quiet. Most everyone had gone home for the evening. It was probably for the best. If there had been any more hostility in the air, the building may have combusted on pure principal. She could feel it rolling in waves from her silent companion.

She bit her lip until she could no longer. Her curiosity - and perhaps, just a bit of pride - was getting the better of her. "You're upset." She said it like it wasn't obvious.

He snorted softly. "No kidding."

"Why?" she retorted. No answer was forthcoming. She trailed to a stop and crossed her arms. If he was going to be passive aggressive, she deserved an answer. "I can tell you're mad at me. I think I have a right to know why." Months ago, she wouldn't have thought of pressing the issue. But being on better footing with them, she wasn't about to let that go so easily. She could stand up for herself. She _didn't_ need to shoulder his anger again.

Gudgett kept stalking ahead until he realised that she wasn't with him. He gave her a look over his shoulder and doubled back. God, that look was one of murder. If Adelaide was prone to feeling threatened, Gudgett would have been doing a good job. She held her ground, pushing her hair behind her ear when it fell into her face.

Gudgett's eyes tracked the movement of her arm, the one with the bruises still on display. And then he looked back at her and unclenched his teeth to speak. "You shouldn't have done that."

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. "Done what, exactly?" She had a strong feeling she knew. She would make him say it anyway.

"Fist fights." It came out as a sneer. "You and that Yank-"

" _Mr_ Houdini," she interrupted crisply, "did not _make_ me join the fist fight. I saw an opportunity. We apprehended three of our suspects, even."

"You could have been hurt."

" _He_ was the one who got hurt," she retaliated, nodding in the direction where Harry had been taken. And he was the one who knew his way around a fight, Houdini.

Gudgett's hand closed around her wrist, just above the ring of discolored skin mottling her skin. His sudden movement almost made her flinch, but Adelaide stood firm and refused to pull away. "You _were_ hurt," he accused.

"Bruises," she said succinctly. "A small price to pay for wanted criminals."

"That way of thinking-"

"Why," Adelaide interrupted again, "does it matter to you?" Her tone had slipped towards an acidic hint. "If your point is to warn me off of Scotland Yard's dangerous work, I'd expect you'd be happy if I got hurt on the job."

"That's not-"

"You don't like me, anyway," she continued, fully glaring at him. "I'm sure you _thrill_ at-"

Gudgett's grip tightened around her wrist so much it almost hurt; Adelaide was about to protest when his hand closed against her shoulder and she staggered backwards from the pressure. Her back slammed against the wall and suddenly there were lips on hers and Sergeant Gudgett was _kissing_ her, hard and fast against one of the walls in the bullpen, and her brain was short-circuiting in her skull.

He was- what was- _Sergeant Gudgett_ -

He pulled away as quickly as he had come in, releasing her and turning away to stalk off like he hadn't done what he had just done.

Adelaide was left half slumped against the wall, lips parted from shock. She felt like they were bruising as she stared after him. What did he think- where was- _"George Gudgett!"_ She shoved away from the wall, striding after him doggedly. Not on _her_ watch. Not without an explanation.

To his - or perhaps her - credit, he did grind to a halt. Adelaide could see the red flush crawling up the back of his neck.

"What was that?" she demanded, winding around to stop in front of him. _It was a kiss, Adelaide._ An _angry_ kiss, but by God the most emotional one she had experienced since Harry had kissed her so many months ago in Canada. She tried not to think about that kiss, either, for various reasons. (Mostly because she had been forced to confront that she wasn't as coolly detached as she had thought. Mostly because she had leaned in, too, and Harry had left her almost wanting more in the weeks that had followed.)

Gudgett didn't answer, staring anywhere but _at_ her.

"George!" He jumped. She might have felt bad if he hadn't just kissed her out of the blue. "Explain yourself."

"I think," the familiar voice over her shoulder made _her_ jump now, and she whirled around on Harry with her own ears burning, "that we've just witnessed why Sergeant Gudgett has been so wildly disrespectful of you," Houdini said, resting his hand on Adelaide's shoulder. "He's in love."

It was, if not logical, the _only_ explanation for the kiss. Adelaide still gaped at Harry like she didn't believe it. Behind her, Gudgett made a strangled noise like he was trying to find words and could not.

"Let me give you a little tip," Harry continued, looking at Gudgett. "Maybe _don't_ hate on the girl you're secretly crushing on? I mean, seems pretty contradictory, don't you think?"

"Houdini," Doyle murmured.

"What? Just some friendly advice. Merring wanted to talk to you," he said, taking his hand from her shoulder. "He yelled at me."

"I wouldn't know why," Doyle said.

Harry's eyes slid to him. "You weren't saying that when you knocked one of them out in the street earlier."

Doyle sniffed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, I couldn't stand back and let you both have all the fun, now could I?"

Houdini laughed.

Adelaide wasn't really listening to them. Her mind was still stuck on the _he's in love_ that had come from Harry's mouth, the words that had implied that _George Gudgett's_ obsession with her was fuelled by romantic feelings. Why _now_? He had _hated_ her. Or had that all been... what, some sort of horrific cover-up? Not that she had ever even _thought_ about Gudgett in such a light, but had he honestly expected anything _good_ to come out of treating her like she was less than him? Between Harry's constant blunt way of prying and now Gudgett...

_Men._

"Are we done?" Gudgett asked. He was still staring over her shoulder when she looked back at him.

How did she handle this? "George..."

He twitched like trying to dislodge a fly, angling himself a half inch away. "Don't. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

_Could you say that without clenching your jaw like you want to punch something?_ She suspected he wasn't angry at _her_ any longer, but at _himself_.

What a _mess_.

"Constable Stratton."

They all looked up as Merring ducked out of his office, gesturing her over.

"Told you," Gudgett muttered, and then, seeming to realise that this was his escape, all but jerked into action to head for his desk.

Oh God, this was so _awkward_ , this was going to be _insufferable_ -

Adelaide breathed in sharply and looked at Chief Merring. "Coming, sir. I'll see you in a minute," she said to Harry and Doyle.

She hadn't been looking for love. Harry Houdini had all but fallen into her lap and George Gudgett had snuck up behind her. She wasn't certain that she was even _ready_ to move on after what had happened in America, and yet... it was nice to hear that she _could_ be loved, that she was, if she did choose to move on. There were people that wanted her like Benjamin had. And even if she didn't want to settle into a relationship just yet, it was nice to know she could have those people looking out for her. (Albeit in a slightly questionable show of defiance, on behalf of one of them...)

Adelaide swept her thumb against her lips, and kept her smile to herself.

 


End file.
